“It is critically important for people to vaccinate their pets and their livestock against rabies and to avoid contact with wild mammals,” she said in a statement. “Prevention is key because rabies is a fatal disease once symptoms begin.”

Six confirmed cases of rabies in skunks turned up in northern and eastern El Paso County this year. The county had not found a rabid skunk since 1970, the local health department said.

Bats are the more common carriers of rabies in Colorado, accounting for up to 60 cases a year, according to the state health department.

The University of Colorado leadership is grappling with how to address a nationwide nosedive in the favorability of higher education — particularly, among conservatives — as CU’s own representatives and decision-makers disagree on what’s behind the downturn.